Life of a Sim- Coral's Story

[rachel631]

Right, this first post is going to be an experiment to see how you upload pics onto these forums... let's see...

Meet Coral Smith.

[rachel631]

OK... that didn't work so well as the size caused me to lose picture quality, and with the graphics card I've used to take the pics for this story I can't afford any more loss of quality, LOL!

OK. I'll try posting it online and linking to it to see if that affects the quality.



Not the best, but it may well have to do. If anyone has any suggestions, they're welcome!

[rachel631]

Life of a Sim: Coral's Story

OK. This was originally aimed as a legacy, only it went a bit astray. I might still do it like a legacy a bit... with a story for each heir, but we'll see. I think a lot of it might have to do with if I can improve the quality and size of these pictures.

Anyway, first comes first. Coral is based on this sim (Tylira Gray) here http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=60238
right down to the clothes! I didn't realise I altered her so little. I guess I didn't intend to post her story to start with, so I thought it didn't matter. Anyway, thanks to her creator.

There's also this sim http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=72214 who appears in the story later on... much to my surprise, I might add. I played a lot with SIM PE to put cool downloads into my game to replace the defaults, so that's how that happened. Thanks to his creator, and also to the SIM PE team!

So, lets get on with this, shall we?



It was a long day's travelling before I finally arrived at my destination. I'm normally an optimist, but today I was just so tired and cranky that I couldn't possibly even think of doing anything but sighing with relief when my journey ended.



It was hardly the sort of place I had been promised in the brochures. And neither had they told me the place would be so... well, so bare. Yet nevertheless, this place was to be my home, so I better get used to it. Anything was better than going back to where I lived before.



Fortunately, the one thing this place did have was a computer, so I could get a job... and get a life! I couldn't bear to be stuck in the house all the time, like I had been when I was growing up.



I never had a mother when I was little, only a father. When I asked him about her, he used to pull funny faces and say "you don't have a mother". I never knew what that meant. I used to dream I would find her one day... a woman with green skin and pointy ears, just like me. My father had normal ears and pale skin. He home schooled me and told me that I should never go out in public, because people wouldn't be kind to me. But that's just what I'm about to do now. Deep breaths...



I decided to head to the nearby coffee shop and see who showed up. I can't deny I was nervous. I'd never really spoken to anyone apart from my father and the taxi driver before, and that was only out of necessity. You see, my father was obsessed by UFOs and conspiracy theory. Always wanted to find that life on other planets existed. He even claimed to have been abducted by aliens... crazy talk, I know. He also drank heavily, supposedly to "take away the pain of the abduction"... and then he died... but I don't want to talk about that... After all, I'm here to make a new life for myself.



Much to my surprise, I found out that I was a natural conversationalist! And the man I was speaking to, who introduced himself as Brandon, didn't even seem to notice I was green! When I asked him about it, he stared at me as if I was crazy.

"Green?" he said, squinting as if he couldn't quite see I was all there. "You look perfectly normal to me. Why, have you just recovered from an illness or something?"

This is a very English phenomena my father told me about, I think. It involves people selectively denying the evidence in front of them in order to be polite. It's as if the eyes see green, but the brain says that a) green people don't exist, b) therefore the person in front of them is not green, and c) even if this person is green, it's rude to pry. I have decided I am a big fan of this way of thinking.



I also met Cathleen that day, and we had great fun drinking tea and coffee and playing the piano. I said so to Brandon, and he laughed.

"If you really want to have some fun" he said "try some of the clubs in town. You'll meet some great people there."



I asked Cathleen about it, but she didn't seem so sure. She said you could also meet some strange people in those clubs, especially in the Crypt-O club, and she'd heard some stories. I was about to take her seriously, when she turned to me and said, in hushed tones:

"That's where you find... them."
"Who?" I asked, confused.
"The creatures of the night... the... vampires..."
"You are not serious."

And then I learned my first lesson in life... that even people who seem normal can actually be madder than a sack full of ferrets. Vampires! Don't make me laugh.



So I made one last trip of the day... to Crypt-O, naturally. And the only creepy thing I found there was a battered photo booth, which I used to take some pictures to hang on my wall and make the place a bit more homely.





It's not like I wasn't curious or anything... I mean, I did have a look around, but I didn't find anything. I moved to leave.



However, before I could depart, my path was suddenly blocked by a gypsy woman, wearing the strangest clothes. She moved to greet me.

"Whatever you're selling, I'm not buying it" I said automatically.
"That's good, because advice is free" she snapped back.



She shook my hand and warned me about something...

"Remember, stay away from the golden boy. He is not what he appears... his blonde hair hides lies and pain."

Oh God... why do I always seem to attract the nutters? Do I send off some sort of scent that they home in on?

"That's nice." I told her. "I'll... er... make sure of that... I have to go now."
"You'll regret not following my advice" she muttered under her breath. It sounded less like a threat and more like a promise. I must admit, I was a little creeped out.



Still, as I got into bed my troubles felt like they were simply fading away. After all, tomorrow was a new day.

[cookie_monster8]

Good So Far. I hope to read more of it

[rachel631]

First, cheers Cookie Monster... I never realised people who write these things like feedback quite so much,  but I'm trying to learn :angel: Anyway, on with the show. Hopefully this bit's a bit more interesting....

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As time went on, I adjusted to my new life very rapidly. I held parties in my little house that fast became legendary in the neighborhood, and made lots of friends.



My best friend, however, was a woman by the name of Carmen. My friendship with her taught me that you don't need to have lots in common to be friends. In fact, I found her more than a little strange. Like Cathleen, she was also one of these vampire conspiracy theory nut jobs, but she was also extremely good fun. All I did was ignore her when she started spewing out crazy talk. It's easy when you try. You just lean back, and let your eyes glass over... sort of like watching a Nicholas Cage film...



My career was also on the up and up. I'd been speaking to a local woman, Tosha, about interesting jobs and she happened to mention her old position, which she had quit when she became a mother. Get this: she got paid to go to parties, entertain and converse with the guests, and cheer up the hosts! What a job! The only problem was that you needed contacts for that sort of position, so she suggested I start small, working in an industry where you meet lots of different people...



A golf caddy! Aaargh! Well, at least the hours were good. And, true to form, I met lots of interesting people. One of the men I caddied for offered me a job in a petrol station for far more money than the golf club was paying. Then a woman whom I helped with her car at the petrol station told me she owned a corner shop, and had work for me there. After that, it just snowballed. So yes, my work life was going pretty well. I even got a snazzy new uniform with a lot of my promotions... good for laughs with my friends!



The only thing that worried me was that I hadn't found anybody special. It's not that I didn't look... I was out having fun almost every night... but nobody seemed to quite match up to my expectations. Either that, or else I was interested in them but they weren't interested in me, as was the case with the lovely Malcolm here...



I thought I'd never find someone special, until fate intervened. I'd met a man through work called Amin Mendoza. We'd been friends for a long time, but I'd never considered him to be anything more than that, partly because he was so apathetic. He just didn't care that he worked in a petrol station and, unlike me, didn't want anything more. I should have avoided him like the plague.



The thing was, one night I held another of my legendary parties at my house. As the music blurted out, and everyone danced and chatted, I turned to Amin and made a mock bow.

"And would my white knight care for this dance?"

I held his hands, and slowly began to whirl him around. And, as I did so, I noticed a few new things about Amin Mendoza.



How his hair smelt of resin and pine nuts, like morning in a forest...
How his hands were so soft, and they cradled mine as gently as a baby's...
How his eyes were bluer than the sky, and seemed to reflect the world back into mine...
And how his beautiful blonde hair shone in the streetlight...
From that moment, I was completely hooked.



Carmen simply couldn't tell what I saw in him. In fact, she warned me off in no uncertain terms.

"There's something funny about him, Coral." She would say, waving her finger at me. "I can't quite put my finger on it, but I don't trust him. Maybe you should ask the gypsy about it."

Yeah, right. Ask the only bigger nutter in town than she was! I made non-comittal hmming noises as she chattered on a bit more, and allowed my mind to wander to my date with Amin tonight... I hope I don't look too 'try hard'... maybe jeans? Or maybe just go in my favorite outfit...



Needless to say, the date was a roaring success.





We wined and dined, and stayed out late. The only thing that kept bothering me were Carmen's words... and, oddly enough, those of the gypsy, too... I couldn't understand it. This place must be sending me round the bend...



I mean, what on earth was possibly wrong with Amin? He danced well, he smelt good, he was good fun, and very handsome. Besides, he was a friend. I knew all his annoying little flaws already... his laziness, his unwillingness to find a decent job... his lack of ability round the house... mmm... did I mention he smelt good?





In fact, you know what... screw Carmen. I'm hooked. I even did what I never ever do on a first date... in public, no less! I think he brings out the naughty little girl in me... and I like it!



We went out all the time after that... to restaurants, bowling, and especially to the Crypt-O. Amin seemed to love that place, and everybody there knew him. Soon, I was introduced to all sorts of his friends, and it became like a second home to me.



Besides that, Amin was so kind to me. He was always leaving me flowers and little gifts, which brightened up my day. I got used to waking up to the sweet smell of flowers in the morning, and it made me feel truly alive.



For the first time ever, I felt like I belonged to a real family. So much, in fact, that I considered proposing marriage to Amin. It was useless waiting for him to propose to me... he'd probably have to pawn everything he owned just to afford the ring! I discussed the matter with my friends, asking how they proposed to their partners. Did any of them have the woman propose to the man?



Talk about getting to know your friends! Some of their answers were truly shocking!



However, none of this got me closer to my goal. I could happily talk about my love for Amin on the phone, but I just couldn't seem to declare it in real life. And, as the months went on, and we went on more and more fantastic dates, it got increasingly desperate...



I would tell myself "tonight, I will propose in the restaurant when we eat our dinner", but we just ended up kissing.



Then I would tell myself "no, it is far more romantic to propose at home, so I will invite him back to my place." But we'd only end up... well, you know...



For once, I was totally tongue tied, and I have no idea why!

[Natural_Highness]

Wow! This is really good.

[rachel631]

I swear, that ring was burning a hole in my pocket for the longest time. Every time I looked at it it stared back at me accusingly. It was almost like a death sentence hanging over me... no, wait, that's not right... I mean, I wanted to give it to Amin, it was just... well, you know.



It was talking to my friend Tosha that really decided me. She was so much fun to be around... lately she's been my best friend, really, seeing as Carmen's been acting increasingly strangely lately (more than normal, I mean... and her normal is pretty off the rails by anyone else's standards!). She was just so secretive. And when I want to pick Amin up from work a few times, I was so sure she was there, hiding in the bushes. Which is stupid, because even Carmen... well, anyway. I digress.



Tosha and I chatted, and she finally convinced me to just go ahead and do it.

"What's the problem, Coral?" she asked. "At the end of the day, the worst he can say is no."

"But that is the problem, Tosh!"

"Well then" she smiled, "if he's stupid enough to say no, then you're so darn cute I might just marry you myself!"

You've just got to love Tosha, haven't you? That girl is a star.



And this was how I slowly approached the restaurant we'd had our very first real date in, and prepared to sit down. I think the phrase blank terror covers my expression adequately. I waited for Amin. As usual, he was late. He also smelt terrible... he'd clearly not even had a shower after work. He really irritated me at that moment. The man had no sense of poetic license...



All the same, it might just have been the alcohol (I never knew it was possible to drink so much in such a short space of time. It made me feel really funny and witty... yet with the sneaking suspicion that I wasn't....) but I felt ready to propose. Unfortunately, just as I prepared to slur my words out, Amin excused himself to go to the bathroom. I poured the remainder of the bottle of wine down my throat, and managed to corner him on his way back to the table.

"Amin... um... well, you know that we've been going out for some time..."

"Not a very long time. I mean, I suppose it's longer than..."

I could have cheerfully killed him at this moment.

"Well, I was wondering if... well, if..."

Right. No more slurring. Talking. I mean talking. This is time for acshun. Action, I mean. Whatever.







"It's very pretty, Coral, but why?"

"Good grief, Amin... and I thought I was the tipsy one!"

His face changed for a second, and then softened.

"Oh, Coral... I mean..."

Great. Here it comes.



"I'd love to!"







I was so excited, I just couldn't resist a cheer. Then reality hit.



"Are you all right, Coral?"

"Fine darling, fine."

I wasn't fine. In a short space of time, I'd just realised that I had to organise a wedding, sort out writing a will, try and convince Amin to get a better job, and probably pay for most of it out of my wages. All of a sudden, I felt sick.



"I think it's time we went home, love" Amin smiled. "I'll put you to bed."

He stroked my cheek, and all of a sudden I felt a little better about the whole thing. I just hope I'm not sick in the taxi...

[rachel631]

The morning after my engagement I woke, unsurprisingly, with the hangover from hell. It was at these times I relied on some of my father’s old machines. I’d had my favorites transported in from my old house. Soon, I was feeling much better.



Unable to eat anything, I turned my mind to my studies.



Reading had always helped me through the toughest of times, and this was no exception. I mean, I had a wedding to plan, and not only that… I had a celebratory party to organize! Now that was going to be lots of fun…



Suddenly, my reverie was interrupted by the ringing of the telephone. Cursing, I moved over to pick it up. It was Carmen, and I wasn’t in the mood.

“Coral! You must listen! It’s very important!”

She sounded breathless, and also somewhat high.

“I found out about Amin! I spoke to some people and…” -here, she paused for the full, dramatic effect- “he’s a follower Coral!”



This was followed by an expectant pause. Like I said, I really wasn’t in the mood.

“Carmen, have you been smoking those special cigarettes of yours again?”

“No! A follower. You know… they’re obsessed by vampires, the life immortal, all that stuff. That’s why he was hanging around the Crypt-O all the time- he wants to be turned. He’s crazy, Coral! They all are! He won’t stop just because he’s marrying you, either. It’s like an obsession for them. He’s only still with you because he hasn’t found someone to turn him yet!”

“Carmen, look” I snapped, a little more harshly than I meant to. “The way you’re talking now, the only crazy one around here is you. I am marrying Amin. Now, you can come to the wedding or boycott it- it’s your choice- but I would very much like you to be there. And I’m sure Amin would too. Now can we stop this ridiculous talk of vampires please? It’s giving me a headache just trying to follow what you’re saying.”

There was a hurt pause.

“You know, Coral, everyone in this town thinks I’m mad.” Well, no surprises there then… “Even Cathleen thinks I’m a bit unhinged. But I thought you would understand. Your father was kidnapped by aliens, for crying out loud! I thought you’d be born into all of this…”



She continued on for a bit, but I didn’t really follow what she was saying. I thought I was hallucinating. My father… how could she have known about his abduction claims? And how could she say it all so casually, like it was fact?

“Wha… what did you say about my father?”

“Just that he was kidnap…”

“But… how do you know about his studies? His claims? You couldn’t have met him! It’s impossible!”

“Oh, Coral” she sounded genuinely sad. “I didn’t realize you never knew… I’m so sorry. Look, I have to go now, but we’ll speak later, OK?”

With that, she hung up on me, and I was left alone with my thoughts. I was really shaken, I won’t deny it. I didn’t want to go back… to think about these things… and I didn’t want to be alone. So I picked up the telephone again, and decided to invite Amin around to celebrate our engagement instead.



Good old Amin. I could always rely on him to cheer me up. Marriage to him is going to be fantastic, no matter what Carmen thinks. I mean, what does she really know about me? Nothing. That whole alien thing was just a lucky guess…

 

I decided to take Amin with me to look at the various places we could get married, in order to make myself feel better. This was going to be my special day, and it had to be just perfect.



As I looked up at the wedding arch, I imagined myself saying “I do”… it sent shivers down my spine. I looked around to see if Amin felt the same, only to glimpse him playing with some stray animal. Ugh… even worse… it was a BAT!

“Amin! What are you doing? Don’t you know they carry rabies?”

He hardly seemed to hear me, so I walked over and grabbed his arm.

“I like bats” he said, absent mindedly. “Did you know, they’re a protected species? It seems such a shame that they’re dying out…”

“Fascinating, I’m sure” I said, hotly. “But you haven’t told me what you think about this place for our wedding yet.”

“Oh… uh… right… well, it’s really nice, but… you see, I owe these people some money, and… well… wouldn’t it be romantic to have it at home?”

“Your place or mine?”

“Yes… well… my place… you see, I have this little problem with my rent…”

Once more, I wanted to scream.

      

The thing is, though… Amin always had a way of making things right.

      

I could never stay angry with him for long. So, with this said, I moved to organize the wedding at my place.

[rachel631]

When I woke up the next morning, Amin was missing from bed. Instead there was a note with a single rose, telling me that he had to go into work for a stock take. Which was a bit strange, really, as they don’t normally do stock takes at night in the petrol station where he works… but never mind. He told me he’s got a new boss, so it’s all change.



After dressing, I went to check my mailbox, to see if the wedding catalogue I’d ordered had arrived. It hadn’t, of course (next day delivery- pah!), but there was something else there. It was written on blue paper with a neat, flowing hand which I recognized as Carmen’s. Frowning, I took it inside and started to read. What I saw was this:

Dear Coral,

I’m so sorry about what happened yesterday. I didn’t mean to upset you, and the last thing I wanted was to strain our friendship. I don’t know what I should say to make it up to you, but I know I want to be honest with you. I wasn’t lying when I talked to you about Amin, but I can see that you have your heart set on marrying him. Who knows? It may work out for you. I hope it does. Either way, you should know that I’m your friend, and I have your back.

Now, about your father. I don’t know what he told you about where you came from, and I don’t know if it’s my job to tell you. But I think that maybe you should know where I’m getting my information from.

Coral, I never met your father, but I did know his work. I wasn’t sure if it was the same Professor Smith, so I never said anything before, but from what you told me last night I think it was. He was a world expert on UFOs. He even claimed to have been abducted. Now, it’s not something that people like to talk about, but people who have been abducted often come back with… well, an extra visitor onboard, if you know what I mean. Most of them never carry to term… there’s never been a case recorded of a live birth, but some people speculate that there have been some babies born and their parents have hidden them… retired from public life and all that. There’s even been a bit of research done into what those children would look like. There are pictures… and they look a lot like you.

I know your father was a recluse. He published all his work online, and retired from the university where he used to teach mathematics. He lived off savings. More than that, I don’t know.

I can’t make you believe me, but I do want to be your friend. And not just because I have some sort of morbid fascination with aliens, either. I like you. I have fun with you, even if you do think I’m crazy- who doesn’t, right? Anyway, call me when you’re free, OK? I’d love to go out sometime.

See you soon (I hope),

Carmen x



Of course, I called her. And she came right over. I’ve really missed her… even if she is a little crazy, at least she’s genuine. And then there’s the matter of what she told me about my father. Which fits in perfectly with what I know about him. I still don’t know what to think about that. I’m not stupid. I know there’s not really a medical condition which makes your skin green and your ears pointy. But I just don’t know if I’m ready to accept that I’m a half-alien. I mean, that’s a lot to take in.



Anyway, we didn’t discuss all if that. Instead we went bowling and got some food. We chatted for ages, and she didn’t act crazy once. Even when I discussed my wedding plans, she was fine with it, and full of helpful suggestions.





Basically, I had a great day out, and a lot of fun. We were like small children! I felt really blessed. I have some really fantastic friends, and a great partner. What else could a girl possibly want from life? Well, a fantastic wedding, and to live happily ever after, of course… but I’m going to get that soon enough! I am one lucky, lucky girl.

[Medagic]

This is really good so far!

[rachel631]

OK, I'm afraid this might have to be the last update for a while. I have to travel down south to work on an army range over the summer so I can pay my university tuition for next year. There might be internet access... who knows? I'll take my laptop just in case and even if there isn't, I'll choose the pics and write up the rest of the story. So this might be finished in September sometime, I hope.

Thanks to everyone who said nice things... I wanted to start writing this mostly as practice so I could improve my short stories, and I think I'm learning some stuff I can apply. Hopefully I'll get a new computer in September sometime, too, so my pics for any other stories should look much better :-P

Anyway, thanks again for reading!